There are many issued United States patents which describe various and sundry golf club constructions, attachments and devices which are intended either to cause or to train a in golfer to have a better swinging motion when hitting a golf ball.
One group of such patents relates to modified forms of construction for the handle portion or grip portion of a golf club. Representative patents in this group are: U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,349 issued to Norbert Kropp on Apr. 13, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,554 issued to Floyd Bernhardt on Aug. 7, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,965 issued to Fagan Mullins on Dec. 2, 1986; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,661 issued to James Murphy on May 5, 1998.
Another group of golf club patents relates to grip handle extensions which extend beyond the conventional grip handle and engage some portion of the golf player's body, other than his hands, for swing control purposes. Typical patents in this second group are: U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,474 issued to Paul Voyer on May 11, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,971 issued to Edward Tischler on Nov. 14, 1995; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,523 issued to Ted Sheftic on Jun. 30, 1998.
The Voyer patent describes the use of an extra long shaft for a putter, which shaft extends nearly to the golfer's shoulder with an intermediate portion of the shaft resting in the crook of the golfer's leading arm. This arrangement is said to prevent flexing and bending of the wrists and leading arm and thereby providing improved putting consistency.
The Tischler patent describes the use of an elongated rod that is attached to the top end of a putter handle and extends upwardly to a crutch arm which fits under the rearward armpit of the golfer. This arrangement seeks to constrain the movement of the golfer's arms to a desired pattern.
The Sheftic patent describes the use of a relatively short, angularly extending arm which is attached to the top end of a golf club handle. This arm contacts the body of the golfer in the vicinity of the golfer's leading hip if the golfer fails to pivot or maintain a solid leading arm as he strikes a golf ball.
While these and the many other patented golf playing improvement devices may work to some degree, few of them have gained much popularity with the golfing community. Some of them are awkward to use. Others are cumbersome to carry around the golf course. And a goodly number of them have an unsightly or gimmicky appearance which would be likely to give rise to adverse comments from fellow golfers.